Suicide is often a deeply selfish act, rooted in an excessive love for oneself that prioritizes personal escape over facing life's challenges. This self-centeredness, termed selfism by psychologists, is fueled by societal emphases on self-esteem, self-assertion, and self-indulgence, leading individuals to feel inadequate when they fail to meet distorted standards. In this mindset, the individual considers only their own pain, disregarding the impact on others. Biblically, such actions defy the principle that we are not our own, but belong to God, who created us in His image. To destroy one's life is to dishonor Him, placing the self as sovereign over the Creator and violating the First Commandment by making the self a god. Additionally, suicide breaks the Sixth Commandment, as it is self-murder, an act of taking a life that belongs to God. Our lives are not ours to end at will, for we were bought at a price, and we are called to glorify God in body and spirit. Satan tempted Jesus to act recklessly with His life, yet He resisted, affirming that we must not test God. This skewed thinking, driven by sinful desire and enmity against God, fosters a self-destructive attitude that can lead to a life of slow death through harmful choices. The antidote lies in turning to Christ, who offers rest and healing to the brokenhearted, transforming despair into a joyous life through faith and reliance on His strength. True contentment and selflessness come from serving others humbly and trusting in God's deliverance, countering the discouragement sown by satan.

The first act of selfishness occurred immediately after Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Their eyes were opened, they perceived their physical differences as a source of division rather than unity, and they sewed fig leaves from that tree to cover themselves. This decision marked the initial human determination of good and evil apart from God's Word, perverting the differences God had created for perfect unity into a means of self-protection and separation. That same selfish orientation passed to all humanity and produced the relational power struggle described in the curse on the woman, in which her desire became one of overcoming her husband while he would rule over her. The resulting conflict of wills has since manifested throughout human society in every relationship, not merely marriage, as each person seeks to advance self at the expense of the other. This ingrained selfishness stands in direct opposition to the self-sacrifice God requires for true unity. God responded to the couple's covering by sacrificing an animal and clothing them with skins, thereby providing the first picture of the perfect sacrifice that would restore the unity lost through disobedience. Under the banner of Jehovah Nissi, the elect are called to walk in the opposite spirit, submitting to one another in the fear of God, husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the church, and wives submitting as the church submits to Christ. By remaining under the Tree of Life through Jesus Christ and living according to the truth of God's Word rather than the wisdom of men, selfishness is overcome, division is healed, and the unity God intended from the beginning is realized.

Selfishness is built into carnal human nature, which tends to be selfish, self-centered, and self-aggrandizing. People habitually pursue behaviors and opportunities that benefit themselves without thought for others. Everyone covets what others have, most will lie to deflect blame, some will steal, and a few will kill to protect their interests. God did not create man this way. He made human nature very good, and Adam and Eve had pure minds. Their physical drives to feed and protect themselves were innocent. Selfishness entered when Satan, whose own ambition and pride corrupted his wisdom and led him to try to usurp God's throne, tempted Eve. He stroked her vanity with the desire to be equal with God through disobedience. She saw that the fruit looked good, desired it, and saw how it could benefit her, so she ate despite God's command. John names this pattern the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which come from the world and not from the Father. Adam followed her into sin, and carnal human nature was born. Because people have a spirit, they tune in to Satan's selfish, rebellious attitude, and without God's Holy Spirit to resist it, all fall under its influence. It becomes their nature, a miniature copy of Satan's. The only cure is redemption through Christ and receiving God's Spirit, and even then it takes a lifetime of resisting the flesh's pull and doing God's will.